


Tis the Season for Secret Santas

by kittymsmith



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Gift Exchange, Secret Santa, bloodhound is a bro, christmas sweater crop tops and eggnog addictions, matchmaking?, rated because i probably cuss sometimes, sum miragehound because I can never escape, this is cute shit mmmmkay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21773959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittymsmith/pseuds/kittymsmith
Summary: Renee catches unexpected feelings for Christmas when she draws Anita for her Secret Santa. But the heart palpitations don't mean she knows what to get her and she might be freaking out just a little bit. Thankfully, Renee's not the only one who can't figure out what to get her Secret Santa and gains an unlikely ally in the quest for the perfect (or at the very least, not totally lame) gift.
Relationships: Bangalore | Anita Williams & Wraith | Renee Blasey, Bloodhound & Mirage | Elliott Witt
Comments: 6
Kudos: 40





	1. Festive Funny Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> I like the pairing. I wanted to try and write the pairing. Coincidentally, I love cute Christmas stuff. 
> 
> Also Merry Christmas, you can never escape from my MirageHound. 
> 
> (And also a genuine Merry Christmas to anyone that celebrates it and to those that celebrate otherwise, Happy Holidays!)

Renee eased the bar back into place and sat up, immediately assaulted with a jingling Santa hat in her face. She looked up, panting, at Natalie who, with a wide grin, jingled the hat again. “Choose a name!”

“What?” She cleared her throat, running a rag over the beads of sweat trailing down her neck. She glanced back, waving her thanks at Bloodhound for spotting her, who nodded, but lingered, unusual.

“Choose a name! We’re doing Secret Santa.”

“Since when?”

“Since yesterday. I’ve been looking for you everywhere, _ami_ , but you are hard to find.”

She looked at the hat. “I’m good, hun.”

“Awww, please!”

“No, thanks.”

“Even Bloodhound took a name.”

Renee raised both eyebrows and turned to her fellow Legend, who nodded. “It is not my holiday,” they said, “but it is all in good spirit.”

“You’ve never participated before,” she said, pulling one leg up on the bench and cocking her head to the side. There was a motivation, she could feel the whisper of it against her skin, but the voices could not reveal it fully.

“Well, look at her,” they said, words colored by humor. Natalie smiled, ever an adorable cinnamon roll of a human being. Wraith remembered meeting her when she was sixteen, when she’d first broken out of the IMC facility. She had insisted “Wraith” be able to stay with her and her father, to have a warm bed in a real home instead of a bunk in an almost cell-like dormitory that came before the much more luxurious Apex Tower. Even when the tower was finished, Renee had stayed two weeks longer. Her introspection bringing out a sense of guilt, she sighed and plunged her hand into the hat, pulling out a slip of paper.

“Who did you get?” Natalie bounced.

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?” Renee unfolded the paper, pausing.

“Well it’s not like _we_ can’t know who you got. I know it’s not Bloodhound, I know who has Bloodhound,” the hunter perked up at this, and Natalie flashed them a rather smug look, “and it isn’t me, because somebody else has me. Soooooooo….”

“Bangalore, uh, Anita,” she said, finally, and very quietly.

Natalie made a noise of interest, shifting back onto her heels. “That should be fun.”

“Right. Fun.” She made the effort to make her voice lighter, glancing at the woman of interest across the gym, where she was sparring with Octavio, and she felt…funny. She had hoped she’d draw Elliot. She _knew_ Elliot. Besides, she’d already gotten him the Switch game he chattered about endlessly, so she had a present either way. But Anita? She had no idea. Natalie told her they’d be exchanging at a party Christmas Eve and that an email would be going out, then ran off soon as she spotted Gibraltar, who was far more receptive to her festivities. Bloodhound slipped away, leaving her to her own thoughts, which she hated. So, she made way for the treadmill, hoping she could clear her head enough to think of something besides a gift card.

* * *

“Ow.”

“Stop.”

“Oww.”

“It’ doesn’t hurt, you’re a baby.”

“No, you’re just a dick.”

“I _have_ a dick, yes.”

“But you also _are_ a dick.”

“Then you’re a pussy.”

“Wow.”

Elliot snorted, giggling to himself while tugging his way through another knot, finally able to brush without an obstruction. Then he started parting her hair; sometimes she wished she could do it herself, but it always became a tangled mess in the end. If Elliot braided it, he somehow made the thick, confused waves come together harmoniously. And it gave her an excuse to come over and sniff through his fridge for those _glorious_ pork chops. “Alright, there ya go. Hot.”

“Bite me,” she rolled her eyes, standing and adjusting her t-shirt. “But thanks.”

“Welcome. As always.” He twirled the stool back in place at the breakfast bar, tweaking his own hair in the bathroom mirror before he grabbed his car keys. Renee double-checked her pockets and tugged her pants up a bit; skinny jeans were not usually her pants of choice, but when she and Elliot went out she maybe liked to show off a little.

  
Solace lived in eternal summer, but Solace City and the Games were in a more desert environment, meaning night descended into a cold as deep as the indigo sky. But because they still lived on such a warm planet, Renee and Elliot just ran and shouted “coldcoldcoldshitcoldcoldCOLD!coldcoldcoldSHIT” until they could leap into his car and blast the heat. Their normal haunt was the Paradise Lounge, because Elliot owned it and that meant kind of free drinks. But the parking was ridiculous, so instead they found a little place in an Irish pub style that was decorated with lights and ornaments, the window painted with gentle snowy hills no one on Solace had ever seen in their lives. Renee thought she’d maybe seen some at some point, but even after finally finding the file deep under Kings Canyon a few months ago, she really didn’t know that much. Renee Blasey was her name, but it seemed IMC was adamant on hiding all else.

A couple of Legends always drew attention, especially if one of them was hot, jovial, and always happy to meet fans. Renee slipped past after a couple of autographs; she was very popular, but she was known for her want of privacy. _Different Legend, different fans_ , she thought, ordering drinks at the bar; it was three-sided, forming a rectangle with a back wall of booze and huge carved wooden supports laden with holly and lights on the other end, circular tables arranged around on a lower and higher level. The natural wood mixed with decoration and quiet Christmas carols was appealing to Renee, who was two shots in by the time Elliot made it over.

They chatted, they drank. They people watched, counting every Santa hat that came in (26 so far) and drifting in and out of topic. It was a normal night for them, though Renee noticed he wasn’t flirting as much as he usually did. “Hey, did you draw for the Secret Santa thing?” Elliot asked while grabbing another beer. He didn’t usually drink beer, but the bartender looked at him weird when he tried to order a strawberry daiquiri and he wasn’t up to the argument.

“Yeah, Natalie roped me into it. And Bloodhound, oddly enough.”

“We gotta all equally suffer. Kidding! I love it. Love stuff like this. I didn’t get you.”

“I didn’t get you. Who’d you get?”

“Makoa. I’m thinking a watch. He’s always complaining that his old one is crap.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t there like, a spending limit with these things?”

“Yeah, it’s like, 30 bucks I think. But the dude uses analog, not like it’s expensive.”

“Sheesh.” She sipped her whiskey, glancing at the sound of laughter across the bar. “I got Banga-Anita. I have no idea what to get her.”

“Why not a giftcard?”

“Ugh, feels cheap, I dunno.” She huffed, staring at the ceiling. She wanted to get Anita _something_ that wasn’t just a piece of plastic. She didn’t know why, maybe she just appreciated the effort that could go into it. Of course, there were plenty of people that preferred to be able to find exactly what they wanted themselves, but it was always nice to have someone guess right, or at least nearly-right. “The hell do I get her for 30 bucks?”

“Why do you care so much?” He smirked at her.

She narrowed her eyes. “What are you sug-“

“Witt! I didn’t know you drank here.” Elliot’s head swiveled around, Renee blanching; Anita had strolled up in white low-rise jeans and, of all things, a white crop top Christmas sweater. She had what looked like eggnog in one hand. “Hi Renee.” She leaned when she said this and smiled, and Renee suddenly realized what that funny feeling had been earlier. She finger waved while trying not to stare at the other woman’s very soft looking, very toned, very, very visible midriff.

“I drink wherever they serve me,” he said, smiling. “Lounge was packed.”

“Yeah, hell if I know why.”

He snorted. “What’s with the sweater?”

“Lost a bet.” She shrugged, sipping her drink. Wraith wondered if it was the suspect for Anita’s somewhat unusual degree of friendliness. “What’re you two doing with the night?”

“Drinking like fishes.”

“Nice. If you want, we’re all getting hammered over there,” she gestured behind her. Renee didn’t get any say, Elliot immediately accepted for the both of them. And when they sat at the round table with three strangers, Elliot conveniently sat between two of them, leaving Renee to sit next to Anita and glare at him in every dimension she could think of. _Someone is looking at you_. She blinked, glancing around the table, but none of them had their eyes on her; Elliot had them distracted with a coin trick. She turned to the side, and Anita was looking right at her. They caught each other’s eyes and Anita cleared her throat and glanced away. “You uh, I like the braid. Never see you in that.”

 _She notices my hair?_ She thought, blaming the alcohol for her face flushing. “Oh, oh uh, thanks. Elliot did it. I can’t, you know, do braids. My hair’s dumb.”

“I think it’s nice.”

“Heh, thanks.” She swallowed, holding her cranberry vodka in both hands. “I like yours.”

“Thanks.” She smiled a little. Elliot was making maraschino cherries disappear. The room hummed with conversation around them. The voices were pressing somewhere in the back of her skull; she knew every time that Anita looked at her, and it was making her heart skip a beat. _Damn it_ , she inhaled, _damn it, damn it, damn it._ Exhale. _Elliot you bastard._ Why now? Could she not be afforded the luxury of not having to feel things? For a brief moment, she wished she hadn’t found her file, as it would mean she could go back to being too focused on anything else to notice how Anita made a half sweater with a corny wreath on a door and “Merry Christmas” written in cursive above it look _good_. “You know, I never got crop top sweaters. A sweater is for warmth, but when it’s a crop top, it loses the point.”

Anita laughed; it was a lovely laugh, a very lovely laugh. “Never thought about it. It is pretty stupid. Jackets, too.”

“Yes! I hate those. I don’t get it. I don’t get vests, either, but the crop top jacket thing is stupid. Did you see the one Octavio wore last week?”

“God, that dumbass bitched all night how cold it was. “I’m wearing a jacket! Why am I cold?!” Because it’s not a jacket?” And then she giggled. That was when Renee really felt herself slipping. “But that dude doesn’t know how to wear a normal shirt, either.”

She chuckled and felt like throwing up and dancing at the same time. “Yeah. Maybe whoever drew him will get him a sweater.”

“Oh, you’re doing the drawing too?” She smiled, taking a drink of her eggnog. “Seems everyone is. I think it’s good for moral, you know?”

“Sure,” Renee said, surprised.

“I think I’ve already figured out what I’m getting mine. You?”

Renee shook her head, smiling like an idiot. “I have no goddamn idea.”


	2. A Very Merry Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically anything Bangalore wears is her Gay Apparel. 
> 
> Happy Holidays!

Bloodhound spotted Renee again the next day. It was only them in the gym; most other Legends were spending time with what loved ones they had, or at least not spending Winter Break working out. But Renee had no one waiting for her and neither, it seemed, did Bloodhound. They worked in silence, just some music coming from a paint splattered boombox near the wall (side note: why were gym boom boxes always paint splattered?) and took a break after finishing their sets. Bloodhound wore all their usual equipment besides some of the heavier pieces of metal, lending to a slightly slimmer frame. Renee regarded them with a great curiosity; the voices found them quite interesting, as it seemed no Renee Blasey in any dimension had figured out quite what was up with them.

“Wraith,” they said, the word feeling sudden in the quiet, “are you not friends with Mirage?”

“Yeah, we’re friends.”

“Good friends?”

She thought a moment. “Yeah. Honestly, he’d probably my best friend. You know, far as I can remember.”

They nodded slightly. “I see. Well, I have drawn him for this exchange of gifts. I do not know him well. I was hoping you could help me.”

 _That’s not all_ , a whisper seeped into her consciousness, _there is something else._ “Well, uh, sure. Why not.” She took a drink from her water bottle, that feeling itching at the back of her head. _What is it?_ “Do you have any ideas at all?”

They shook their head. “None. I…do not want to get Elliot something he does not like.”

Cue the record scratch. The smug look on Natalie’s face. Elliot’s lack of flirting, Bloodhound’s participating in the exchange at all. But this was the key: Elliot. Bloodhound _never_ called anyone by their first names. Everyone used their titles and actual names to varying levels of interchangeability, yes, but Bloodhound had never once uttered a first name to anyone. Not that Renee knew. She looked them as much in the eye as she could figure, slowly cocked her head, and pointed with her water bottle. “You called him Elliot.” They froze. She could sense the panic-they had been so careful. She pushed, “you two have something?”

They didn’t respond.

“Something had to have happened.” She backed off, carefully, and Bloodhound visibly relaxed. “Can I take a guess?” They inclined their head, slightly. “You fucked.”

A weird strangled huff came from their mask and they doubled over, covering their mouthpiece like one would when trying to cover a laugh. “No, no! Nothing like that!” The shock of her bluntness seemed to have loosened them up, however, and they sat up, more weird ventilation huffs coming out of their mask. “We…we…he,” they glanced at her, pausing. “You…he has mentioned you a considerable amount. I presume you are to be…trusted.”

“I’d like to think so.” She said, with as much emphasis on an honest tone as possible. She’d never once told anyone about the pumpkin fiasco. Everyone knew anyway, but she wasn’t the reason. _Everyone but Bloodhound, probably_.

They nodded, seemed to brace themself, then faced her. “He has seen my face.” Renee inhaled sharply. “It was not on purpose. Some _andskoti_ wanted blackmail or fame or the like. They downed me, they took my mask,” their breath hitched for a second and they took a moment to exhale, “and they were dragging me from Bunker outside. Elliot appeared, shot them, he’d slammed the door before the cameras could follow him. He revived me-we were not even on the same team.”

“You can get banned for that,” Wraith said, eyes widening. “Beyond banned.”

“Yes.” They shook their head. “I pursued him later, I had to know why. And he told me it was the right thing to do.” She imagined them furrowing their brow in the pause that followed, their voice soft as they picked up, “in all my time under Allfather’s sun, I have never met someone so genuine. He is _such_ a _miklimunnr_ -”

“Huh?”

“A, oh, a _loudmouth_.” She laughed, nodding. “Gods Almighty, he can _talk_. But…but he can also listen. I believed-believe-our encounter was part of fate. So, I visit. We have visits. Coffee, and sometimes he will repair my equipment...”

Wraith was hugging her legs to her chest, chin resting on her knees. “You have a crush on him, don’t you?”

They crossed their arms, looking directly at their feet. “Is it that obvious?”

“Oh, _honey_.”

They sighed deeply and said, with a sense of irony, “perhaps guarding myself from any emotional or physical intimacy for most of my life was not a sound decision.”

“I’m beginning to realize that, too.”

“Bangalore?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Oh, _honey_ ,” they mocked. She shoved them lightly with her foot, burying her face in her knees.

“God, it came on like a tidal wave. She was wearing a sweater, but it was a crop top, and I almost lost my mind.” They made a noise that could only be classified as _appreciative_. “And then she said she liked my hair and we made fun of Octavio’s crop-top jacket and got hammered and then I woke up in Elliot’s closet.” She inhaled deeply. “Sorry, your thing is kind of a bigger deal.”

They hummed, standing. “I appreciate you treating it otherwise, if I am honest.”

“Oh. Well…cool.” She relaxed, processing everything. Bloodhound, the biggest mystery in the Frontier, had a big ass crush on her best friend, and she had a big ass crush on a very pretty lady she hadn’t realized was very pretty until recently, and now they both were suffering for it. “Do you know Bangalore at all? I mean, more than me. You train more with her.”

“Actually, I do.” They said, amused. “I can think of a couple things she might like.”

Renee felt a flood of relief wash over her body. “And I can think of a couple things Elliot would love. This feels weird, but we could go shopping?”

They hesitated. “I would draw quite a bit of attention.”

“In your gear, yeah. Nobody knows you out of it. And people tend to leave me alone.” She let what she was suggesting sink in. Bloodhound produced their knife, twirling it and pointing it at her.

“I am willing to give you the benefit, _felagi_ , because you are the dearest friend of Elliot,” they said, “but I will tell you the same thing I told him: if you in any way reveal who I am, what I look like, insinuate any aspect of my physical appearance other than what is blatantly available when I am dressed as I am now, I will gut you. And not in your sleep; that would be dishonorable.”

 _Damn, Elliot, you sure can pick ‘em._ She swallowed. “No one will hear anything. I promise.”

They sheathed their knife. “Good.”

She nodded, slapping her thighs to pretend like that was a normal predecessor to a shopping trip, and stood. “Meet at my car? In like, an hour.”

“Yes.” Arthur the raven soared down from somewhere within the rafters of the gyms high ceiling and landed on their arm. They left without any further words. Renee watched them go and wondered if fate had anything to do with drawing Anita’s name.

* * *

Bloodhound had blondish, straight-ish hair that was in a half-up style, three small braids in one side that were wrapped with thin, colorful cords of fabric, and they wore what looked like an Arthur feather as an earring in their left ear. Their face was soft curves, their neck an elegant rise from shoulders that advertised how easily they could kick someone’s ass. They had dressed similar to Renee, jeans and a hoodie, but their clothes were less form fitting, and they wore boots. Despite what she had suspected, they didn’t have a bunch of scars on their face-just a nick off their lower lip. “Wow. Hi.”

“Wow?” Their voice was lighter, and clear-Renee would guess they could sing pretty well.

She shrugged a bit and unlocked the car. “You’re just really good looking.” _You’re just his type._

This seemed to catch the hunter off guard, who stood and blinked a moment before getting in the car. “Thank you.”

She smiled a little bit. _This is so fucking weird._ She backed out and got on the main drag that would take them to Solace City. _I’m going Christmas Shopping with Bloodhound._ They were quiet on the drive, which was awkward for Renee but Bloodhound didn’t seem to even notice. _If Christmas isn’t their holiday, what do they celebrate? I’ve never seen them celebrate anything. Not even a win. Their Gods are Norse, right? Old Norse. I read something about that. And Norse had…_ ”Yule.”

“Pardon?”

 _Oh shit I said that out loud_. “I, uh, sorry but I was just thinking about it. You celebrate, uh, you celebrate Yule, right? Kind of the original Christmas.”

They raised their eyebrows-huh, it looked like they plucked them, if minimally. Renee wondered what the use was if no one ever saw their face. “I am impressed. No one has ever made the connection.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m surprised, sometimes, how little people seem to realize.” They paused to get out of the car as Renee pulled into a space in a parking garage, “My religion is older than fire. Perhaps that is why it is nearly lost.”

Wraith shoved her hands in her pockets. “That, uh…that’s kind of sad.”

They shrugged slightly, heading toward the elevator. “As is life; If you look for the light, you can often find it. But if you look for the dark that is all you will ever see.”

She stood next to them. “Was that an Avatar quote?”

They didn’t respond.

* * *

Oldetown was Renee’s favorite part of Solace City. It had narrow cobblestone streets and brick storefronts with dozens of small specialty shops and restaurants and a bakery that was to-die-for. The old-style painted signs suspended out over sidewalks and the lights glistened in the corners of windows painted with all matter of Christmas-y scenes-which still, frequently, included snow, which she would never understand but, whatever. “This is Elliot’s favorite part of town,” she said casually, noticing that Bloodhound seemed to have difficulty hiding their interest without a mask to do it for them.

“That so?”

“Mhm, he showed it to me when we first started hanging out. We should hit the bakery before we leave-but anyway, um. Let’s start in CC’s Collectibles? For Elliot.”

They nodded, following her into the store. It was basically a nerd haven, filled to the brim with every kind of game and tv show and then every kind of merchandise for all said shows and games. Renee turned to Bloodhound to suggest they try looking at T-shirts, but found they were gone. It didn’t take but a minute to find them standing, slack-jawed, in the manga section. She strolled over. “Lot of manga, huh?”

“ _Yeah_.” Their voice was an astonished whisper. There were at least three floor to ceiling shelves of the stuff. “ _Yeah there is a lot_.”

“You like manga?”

They paused, then nodded quickly. Then they looked up and saw the huge posters for some of the more popular mangas, slowly lifting their hands to their head and then turning to the side, somehow getting more shocked at the rows and rows of anime, and the rows and rows more of shirts and figurines and whatever-else-conceivable. Renee had a lightbulb moment. “Oh my God, are you a weeb?”

They inhaled deeply, blushing furiously. “Maybe.”

“Oh my God, you’re a weeb.”

“Be quiet.”

“You _weeeeeeeeeeeeb_.”

They huffed but seemed too in awe to be really angry. “T-There’s so much.”

“Oh, there’s sooooo much more.” She grinned, her mind for just a moment granted relief from the idea of Anita. “I mean, we still need to find a present but…. go on.”

“Are you su-“

“We got all day.”

 _Woosh_. There went the hunter. Renee went ahead and wandered elsewhere in the store, spending an obscene amount of time looking through everything. Elliot was a bit of a closet nerd. Not a DND nerd, but he did like boardgames, so she wandered and browsed, spending an unforeseeable amount of time just reading the backs of the things. Bloodhound appeared with arms simply full of manga. “Have you found anything?”

“I think so. He likes boardgames, and there’s this one about raising your own dragon, but there’s also this other one where it’s kind of a fantasy adventure but in a McDonalds-“

“Renee?” She jumped and nearly dropped the games, turning to see none other than Anita, wearing a romper (which was the last thing she had ever pictured her in-not that she’d been picturing her in anything lately or anything like that) and holding a DVD collection. She was trying to think of how to speak again while Anita nodded behind her, seeming very interested. “Jaime?”

 _What?_ “Anita.” They adjusted their erroneous amount of manga.

“Didn’t know you…knew each other.”

“It’s a recent development.” They jerked their chin toward the DVDs. “For your, ehm, Secret Santa?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “You guys doing that too?”

Renee nodded mutely, panicking. “I drew Mirage.” Bloodhound-Jaime?-said. “Lifeline?”

“Ha, yeah. Did you know she likes the Golden Girls?”

“I did not.”

“Apparently she does. Octane says so, anyway. Well, I’m done and wanna beat traffic, so see ya.” She threw a casual salute, flashed a smile, and gave Renee a very obvious once over ( _except she couldn’t have, could she?)_ as she turned on her heel and left.

“Oh my God,” Renee breathed, “I’m so _gay_.”

Bloodhound-Jaime?-quirked an eyebrow. “This is news to you? And the dragon one.”

She shook herself. God, what _was_ that? She talked to her _perfectly_ fine in the bar and now she saw her and it was like her brain stalled. “Dragons,” she said, putting back the dragon one, pausing, and then taking the dragon one and putting back the McDonalds RPG. “Dragons are cool.”

“Someone falls in love with a dragon in one of these.” Bloodhound said, depositing the manga on the cashier’s table.

“Is it a cute dragon?” Her heart was still beating in her ears.

Bloodhound held up a rather salacious looking book cover. “You tell me.”

They hit the bakery after CC’s once realizing they were both starving, and maybe because Renee needed a moment to process the next stage of her gay crisis. They sat in a far corner. Bloodhound lit a cigarette, then immediately put it out when just about every head in the place turned to glare at them. Renee pretended the tea calmed her. “You smoke?”

“On occasion.” They snorted. “I had quit at one time, but these Games-participation is frequent enough to remove the damage with whatever…cocktail, of drugs they use. So, I have picked it up again.” They frowned. “Does Elliot mind smoking?”

“He doesn’t like it in the house, but he doesn’t mind it.”

They looked a little relieved and directed their attention to a chocolate scone. “So, my shopping is done. Don’t take me in that store ever again.”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll buy everything. Gods, it’s dangerous.” They tore the scone in half, watching the chocolate drip. “But you have not finished your shopping, _vinur_.”

“No, I haven’t. Hey, what the hell was with that thing with Anita earlier, anyway?”

“What? Oh. Well, I said I knew her.”

“You didn’t say she knew your face.”

They inclined their head. “Fair. We met in dire circumstances; the Allfather sent her to me, and we have met as He wills since before the end of the war. We exchange favors.” They laughed lightly. “She gave me the cover name Jaime. Said it was gender neutral. I have always liked it.”

“It’s a nice name.” Renee paused. “Wait, so I’m setting you up with my friend, and you’re setting me up with your friend?”

“Basically.”

“Jesus. What are we, in a novel?”

“I’ve always felt more like it were a game.”

“Mm.” She leaned over, holding the tea below her nose and inhaling, closing her eyes. The voices were chattering-he was looking, she was looking, two people pointed at her, three were thinking, in some way or another, about people they hated. And five were thinking about people they loved. _Tis the season_ , she thought, sipping the warm drink. “Alright. I helped you, you help me. Did you see any place that might have something she’d like?”

They inclined their head, nearly wiping their hands on their pants before grabbing a napkin. “I was thinking we should walk toward the center. She is a surprisingly simple woman, but it is always good to look, ja?” Renee nodded. She hoped, and maybe even prayed a little, that whatever Gods carried Bloodhound to their numerous successes could spare just a sprinkle of luck for her.


End file.
